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After the slightly bizarre goings on at Banbury on Wednesday, Hereford FC travel up to north Lincolnshire on Saturday in a bid to avenge the 5-1 drubbing they got from Scunthorpe last December at Edgar Street.
The Bulls go into this one with that most prized of assets for any team – a striker in form. Andy Williams has four goals in the last two games, and has the pedigree to be influential against the better teams, with Scunthorpe undoubtedly being one of those.
The Iron brought in at least ten new players last summer following relegation in a bid to spend as little time as possible in the National League North, and not too many people would blame them for bidding to do that. They were seemingly chucking two-year contracts at EFL-experienced players fairly freely, or probably actually very far from freely, with the club’s playing budget being some way north of Hereford’s.
Striker Danny Whitehall scores a goal every other game, and is the second highest scorer in the division with 19 for the season. He may just play a little within himself here though as he’s on nine yellow cards, and a tenth would mean he misses the rest of the ‘normal’ season, I think.
Fellow striker Danny Elliott, who joined for a fee from Boreham Wood last February, has scored plenty at this level for Chester, Boston and Alfreton, and has ten for the season.
Former Hereford United defender Will Evans should be back following suspension here.
Tom Pugh, impressive on loan at Hereford earlier in the season, had been a bit-part player for Scunthorpe on returning to his parent club in January, but he’s started the last two games so could do the same here.
Much of their play goes through experienced midfielder Jacob Butterfield, who has huge EFL experience with Middlesbrough, Derby, Huddersfield and others.
The Iron are very strong at home, and that home record has contributed significantly to their best-of-the-rest position in the league behind runaway long-throw merchants Tamworth. The fact that second place will be seen as a poor season reflects the fact that the club is the biggest and best resourced in the division. Ironically, that second place with just a handful of games to go could work in the visitors’ favour. Scunthorpe can’t catch Tamworth, but they’re unlikely to get dragged down into the first round of play-off eliminator matches. Could this give rise to the tiniest element of complacency or of saving their legs? Is this clutching at straws? Maybe.
As for the visitors, the Nathan Cameron and Aaron Skinner suspensions, following their sendings off in that eventful second half at Banbury, won’t kick in until the Warrington game next weekend, so that’s far enough away to be brushed under the carpet as something not to be concerned about for the time being.
Yusifu Ceesay came off the bench at Banbury and should again be at least available as a substitute here, and Paul Caddis will have additional midfield options with Tope Adabeyi and Lawson D’Ath back in contention for a start following their unavailability against Banbury.
In what is suddenly an embarrassment of riches in midfield, Jordan Lyden could be fit enough to start and would be a valuable presence in an away match against a proper side at a proper ground in front of a proper crowd. Dom McHale offers options out wide or more centrally, and still presumably has a bit of ‘newcomer zeal’ about him in terms of his desire to impress, both over the course of the last three games of the season and in terms of something longer term.
At right back will be Jid Okeke, and although Scunthorpe will have done their homework on him they still won’t find it easy containing him. As another ‘Iron’ once said: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” It would be good if Jid didn’t take Mike Tyson’s observation literally as another Bulls red card would seem a little careless.
Paul Downing’s continued absence is a worry given that the defence will soon be missing Nathan Cameron and Aaron Skinner through suspension (that issue didn’t stay brushed under the carpet for long), with Ollie Southern struggling with sciatica. Recalling Mark Derricott and/or Jordan Cranston from their loan spells could perhaps be an option.
With this being the third game in six days, getting the win that’s needed to keep the season alive would be the performance of the season. Much will depend on the continuation of Willo’s purple patch and everyone succeeding in getting through 90+ minutes with no unforced defensive errors, or indeed red cards.
There’s an awful lot of unlikely water that must pass under the bridge first, but imagine if that final game of the season against Boston turned out to be a ‘them or us’ scenario…and it turned out to be us – scenes.
COYW